In Sickness and In Health
by Lovedrr
Summary: "Sometimes the world's saviour could use a little saving himself." Part of 'Starcrossed: Man of Steel, Woman of Gold' series. (SM/WW)


**Disclaimer**: No copyright infringement intended.

**Notes**: This was originally intended for our SM/WW date story contest, but it was over length. Written 3 years ago. Please enjoy!

* * *

**In Sickness and In Health**

* * *

Metropolis.

The hallway was spinning. Everything was moving around him, and it was getting worse. He just had to keep moving. He needed to get inside his apartment. He was almost there.

That's when his right leg gave out.

Kal dropped to one knee. He tried to steady himself, and he realized that he was shaking all over. His skin had broken out into a profuse cold sweat all over his body. He vaguely realized that his vision had turned red, as red as the kryptonite which had done this to him.

It had been an innocent enough trip which had caused this. He and Jimmy had been sent to cover the opening of the new West Central Metropolis Museum, the new sister of the East Central Metropolis Museum, and the museum had still been receiving shipments during its grand opening. No one had known that one of the samples contained small trace amounts of the substance which was always so detrimental to him.

As soon as he'd realized what was happening to him, Kal had made an excuse to leave and headed directly for his apartment. He'd intended to contact Bruce and tell him to have Waynecorp take the red kryptonite into possession for safe keeping.

Yet now, he wasn't even certain if he'd make it to his apartment. Still, he had to keep moving.

Kal placed a hand on the wall beside him and forced himself to his feet, using a final burst of energy to stumble into his apartment and grab the phone.

He had his good friend and co-worker Lois Lane in his phone on speed dial, and he was happy to hear her voice when she picked up.

"Hello, Clark. Make it fast. I'm a little busy here," she said in one sentence.

"Lois," Kal called out of breath. "I… I'm not feeling… too well. I… could use some help. Think you… could come by… soon?"

"You're sick, Clark? That's odd. I don't think I've ever seen you sick before. Look, Clark honey, I would love to come by and play mother hen but Perry just gave me the go ahead to get the scoop on that election scandal in North Texas. I gotta go, honey. Listen, I promise I'll stop by and check on you just as soon as I get back. I will. Bye, honey."

The line went dead just that fast.

"Lo…" Kal tried to begin.

But this time, both his legs failed him, and he was suddenly on the floor unconscious.

* * *

The first thing which struck him was the smell of orchids, accompanied by what smelled like the crisp clarity of an ocean breeze. The smell was nearly intoxicating.

Then, Kal's mind quickly remembered his dilemma, and he forced his eyes to open.

The sight before him was absolutely breathtaking. A pair of long, smooth, gorgeous legs were right next to his bed, close enough to touch. The white ankle strap classic pumps which adorned them glinted with the sunlight coming in through his open bedroom window. His eyes followed the curve of the legs past the smoothly rounded calves up to sleek toned thighs, which were visible as the side slit in the elegant white dress had slid upwards as the legs crossed, providing an amazing view. He followed the curve of her womanly hips upward to her well endowed blouse with its classy low cut neckline. More of her beautiful skin would have been visible if it hadn't been covered over by her long, dark, gorgeously curled hair which flowed over her shoulders and swung down to her lower back. Her lovely face was partially hidden behind a pair of thin reading glasses, which had the added allure of making her seem studious and even more sexy at the same time.

Kal's mind tried to process what he was seeing. It was as if a goddess had taken residence at his bedside. Well, indeed…

"Diana?" he whispered weakly.

At the sound of his voice, Diana was out of her chair like a shot. She gracefully descended onto the side of his bed, and placed her hand onto his forehead, running her long slender sharp nailed fingers through his hair.

"Everything's okay, Kal. You need to rest," she told him.

"No, Diana," Kal breathed out as he tried to sit up. He was already out of breath and nearly gasping for air. "You don't understand. I have to take care of…"

"Everything's been taken care of, Kal," Diana said as she placed her other hand on the center of his chest and pushed him back down.

Kal wasn't sure if he was just very sick and very weak or if Diana was using her Amazonian strength on him, but she virtually held him down. She was indeed a very… very… strong woman. He also realized that he was naked underneath his covers, and he felt as if he were at a decided disadvantage. Still, he was very worried.

"Diana…"

"Listen to me, Kal," she told him softly. "Bruce has already sent his people to confiscate the red kryptonite from the museum. It's on the way back to Gotham as we speak. I've called Perry at the Daily Planet and informed him that your presence was formally requested at a Themysciran conference because of the freelance work you did for the consulate last month. He knows that you won't be in for at least a week. I've already got your shift covered on the Watchtower and informed everyone of the situation."

"How did you know?" Kal said as he relented under her touch, placing his left hand over her right hand resting on his chest.

"When you didn't report for your shift, I rushed over as quick as I could," Diana said as she lowered her left hand to caress his cheek. "I've taken care of everything for you. You need to rest now. Sometimes the one that is accustomed to always taking care of everyone else needs to be taken care of. I'll be here for you."

"Diana, I… I'm…"

She immediately sensed the concern in his face, saw it in his eyes. "What is it, Kal?" she asked.

"I… I don't think I can feel my legs."

Diana tensed. His tone was the closest thing to fear she'd ever heard in his voice, and she became afraid. Then, the Amazon within her took over, and strengthened her.

"We'll get through this, Kal," she told him as she placed both her hands on the sides of his face. "It's probably temporary. We'll get through this together."

"And if it isn't?" Kal said quickly. He hated himself for sounding… vulnerable, but some part of him deep inside told him that this was the one… the only… woman in the world with whom he could be. "I never know what the effects of this thing will be on me. I…"

Diana leaned forward and laid her forehead against Kal's, and he could smell her sweet scent as her long hair flowed around him. Her presence and closeness were calming and soothing to him.

"Even if that is so Kal, you will still be alright," she whispered to him.

"Why?" he whispered back.

"Because I shall never leave you," she whispered.

Kal wanted to stay awake and say more, but exhaustion seemed to be overtaking him. Added to that was the incredibly comforting feel of Diana's hands along the side of his face and stroking through his hair, and he was unconscious in moments.

* * *

Kal awoke some time later. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he could tell that he wasn't feeling any better. He was still sweating profusely, and he felt muscle spasms all over his body. He was cold and hot at the same time, and the intensity of his irregular temperature felt very strange to his skin. He still couldn't feel his legs. He struggled to sit up, and as he did so, he noticed movement just outside his bedroom door.

Diana immediately came walking into the room, obviously in the midst of a heated phone conversation. She was dressed in one of his white bath robes with her hair tied up above her head with her glasses on, and she was holding another one of her large folders. The robe covered her to the middle of her thighs, and she quickly padded barefoot toward his bed.

One thing which Kal had already noticed about Diana was that she had no true concept of just how stunningly beautiful she really was. Here she was, walking around looking very comfortable and right at home in his place, and she was only wearing a thin white bathrobe. She had obviously taken a shower not long ago because her body was still glistening wet, and she gave absolutely no thought to how the robe parted near her ample breasts or slid from side to side as she walked to reveal even the tops of her stunning thighs. He couldn't help but notice that she was drop dead gorgeous, even as she was discussing the most important of diplomatic affairs.

"Yes, Prime Minister, I fully understand your position. However, I strongly… strongly suggest that you do your research and reaffirm the extent of your borders and territorial waters. If you continue to allow sea vessels carrying munitions or other contraband to traverse through your waters into Themysciran territory, you will face severe embargoes and other political deterrents to your actions. If they are unsuccessful, you may wish to be prepared to withstand military action as well, and I can guarantee you will not be victorious in this arena. I hope we understand one another? Good. I shall end this conversation now and contact you at a later date."

Diana changed lines on the phone as she drew near to Kal. "Crystal, hold all my calls. Yes, I know the dignitaries have conference calls scheduled. Cancel them until further notice from me." With that, she slid down in front of Kal on the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Just wonderful," Kal smiled with sarcasm as he raised a hand to his mouth to cover a violent cough.

Diana placed a hand on his forehead again. "You're still running a very high fever. You're burning up. You still need a lot more rest."

"Diana, I'm so sorry. I know that you work in an important political office. You have so many globally significant matters to attend to. I shouldn't keep you from…"

"Shhh," Diana scolded as she placed a finger to his lips to hush him. "Right now, you are my priority, Kal. Sometimes the world's saviour could use a little saving himself." She gave him a bright smile. "Besides, I'm getting a little bit of work done here as you can see," she said as she gestured toward his outer living room.

Kal looked through the open bedroom door out at his living room. He caught sight of a small fax machine which had been set up in a corner, two laptops resting on his coffee, and three file cabinets settled around the coffee table in particular places. Diana had skillfully turned Kal's living room into a makeshift office.

"Not bad," he smiled to her. "But I know you need to be at the consulate. Your important phone calls…"

"Speaking of phone calls…," Diana cut him off as she stood up and headed for the living room. "I made a few calls today, trying to discreetly discover new cures or remedies for this red kryptonite, or even just something to make you feel better. I discreetly consulted a couple of doctors and scientists all over the country." Her voice trailed off as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Did you find out anything?" Kal asked curiously.

"I found out something very special," Diana said as she reappeared in his doorway holding a bowl. "I consulted with my mother on Themyscira, and she reminded me of the dish she always made for me every time that I felt upset."

"Some complicated Themysciran recipe?" asked Kal.

"Actually not," Diana answered as she gracefully settled onto the bed in front of him. "Just warm milk. Simple warm milk. My mother told me to heat some milk and then spoon it you."

Kal smiled despite himself. The smell of the warm milk reminded his inner soul of his home on the farm, and he did feel just a touch better. "Well, I…"

"Here you go," Diana said as she held up a spoonful of the sweet smelling milk.

Kal sipped it tenderly, reveling in the familiar taste. He was about to thank Diana and take the bowl from her when she raised another spoonful. Kal sipped again. When she could tell that he was about to protest, Diana scooted closer to him and continued to feed him. Kal stared into her soft eyes as he sipped the milk, and Diana continued to stare deep into his own, the two of them never seeming to break their gaze.

Just then, the sky behind Diana lit up completely white, and Kal was startled.

"What was that?" he asked.

"There's a very bad storm coming," Diana said as she sat the milk bowl down and stood up from the bed to pad over to the window. "The meteorologists are predicting a possible massive earthquake and severe weather."

"What?" Kal said. "I need to get on my feet. The city may need…"

"The city is taken care of, Kal," Diana said firmly as she turned around to face him. "I have the League monitoring the city closely. If there an intelligence behind this or if any of our foes try to capitalize on the situation, Wonder Woman will be here to protect the city."

At her words, Kal laid back. He was still concerned, but he had to accept that he was powerless for the moment and Diana had the situation well under control.

"Besides, I'm probably a better protector than you are anyway. The citizens will be pleased to have me here," she said smugly.

"Oh really," Kal smiled defiantly. "I suppose you think you can do a better job than I can?"

"We shall find out in our next sparring session. While you are ill we shall have to play a game of chess or the like, so I can determine if you more formidable as a mental match for me than a physical match." Diana turned back toward the window to hide her smile from Kal.

"We'll just have to see about that, Ms. Amazon," he told her with a grin. "You will see the folly of trying to match wits with a Kryptonian."

Diana had to keep herself from giggling. He was responding to her banter, and that was a good sign that he could heal. If she could lift his spirits, then perhaps she could heal his body as well.

"We are superior to almost all other races in intellect, you know?" she said as she turned around. "You would do well not to bet on…"

Kal was unconscious. He had fallen into a deep slumber. Diana noted how pale and thin his skin seemed. He was truly in a bad way, and she wasn't certain, but she thought that he may be looking worse. Perhaps they had not yet realized the worst of the exposure. Still, she was saddened that he had fallen asleep. She missed his company, his conversation, his presence. However, he desperately needed his rest if he were going to have any chance of healing.

She walked over to the bed, removed the bowl of warm milk from the bed and placed it on the dresser. She paused and looked at him, trying to assess his condition. She checked his forehead again to find that his fever was still extremely high, and she then placed her hand on his chest to feel the beat of his heart.

That was a mistake. With the covers around his waist, she found herself taking notice of his wide broad muscled chest, and his extremely toned waist. She left her hand on his chest a moment too long before snatching it away and walking out of the bedroom quickly.

* * *

Crack!

The loud sound resounded through the apartment, and it startled Diana. She sat up from the couch quickly, realizing that she had dozed off with a file on her chest and a pen in her hand. She had checked with J'onn repeatedly over the course of the evening before relaxing in the living room, and she had left instructions for him to contact her at once if anything caught his attention. She guessed that she must have fallen asleep afterward.

Outside the apartment, the wind was howling, rain and hail were pounding loudly against the roof and windows, and the ground was shaking quietly with a slight rumble. However, these were of a natural nature from what she could sense. If J'onn hadn't contacted her, then the sound must have been… Kal!

Diana jumped off the couch and hovered over to the bedroom doorway quickly. "Kal?" she called quietly.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, but when they did, she was so startled that she rushed over to the bed. The top of the headboard had been smashed nearly in half by Kal's thrashing limbs. His body was taut, tense and spasming violently all over the bed. He was obviously in the throes of some kind of a seizure! Diana reached forward and touched his head and chest to hold him down momentarily. His entire body was ice cold!

Diana felt fear, and she was afraid in a way that felt unusual for her. Her normally rational warrior mind went into a frenzy of concern. She suddenly felt as if her heart was cracking wide open, and she couldn't think clearly. She had to get him warm, and she had to keep him from thrashing around so violently and damaging the walls of his apartment.

Diana quickly stood to her feet and hurried around to the other side of the bed, stripping off her bathrobe as she did so. Now bare, she slid underneath the covers and roughly grabbed Kal's shoulders to pull him against her.

Great Hera he was strong! With his power, Kal could very easily have hurt a lesser woman. But Diana was able to hold onto him with her immense strength, and after a few moments she began to bring him under control. Still holding him tight against her with one arm, she used her other hand to open his eyelids. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head, and he seemed incoherent. Then, Diana again pulled him tightly against her and began whispering to him.

"It's okay, Kal. Everything's okay. You have to calm down. You have to rest. Easy… easy… easy. It's okay. Everything's okay," she whispered lovingly.

Kal's body began to slow its movements, her words seeming to calm the savage beast. Diana continued holding on to him, rocking him slowly.

* * *

Diana hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until sensation stirred her awake. The storm was still loud and raging outside, and there was a constant gentle rumble underneath everything. She found herself very disoriented.

Diana felt movement against her bare skin, and she looked down to see Kal gently kissing and suckling the soft skin between her breasts. Diana's temperature suddenly shot up sky high, and she quickly found it extremely hard to breathe. She could feel their bare skin against one another below their waists with their legs already entangled. She could feel that his legs were well and moving against her, as well as the… other… parts of his anatomy which were very well and very moving. Kal was slowly moving his way up Diana's body, and the heat between them was increasing to a blazing hot furnace with his motions. Diana found herself literally panting in seconds, unable to think or breathe at all and gasping for air. She moved her hands from his shoulders to the back of his head, intending to pull him away from her for just a moment so that she could form at least a single coherent thought, but her hands betrayed her and began running themselves through his hair instead, silently pleading for him to give her more.

"Kal? Kal?" she managed to whisper, her voice hoarse and labored. "You… you're not thinking clearly. Your… your illness…"

It was all she could force out. Her legs were moving all by themselves, sliding back and forth between the sheets. Kal was positioned between them, and her thighs and calves rubbed continuously against his own. Kal began to move his strong hands slowly up her waist toward her breasts as he kissed the skin on the side of her neck and behind her ear. Then, he leaned back to look deeply into her eyes.

"Diana," he whispered quietly. "I'm in love with you. I think I have been for some time. I didn't want to admit it to myself and I didn't want to face it because of how different our lives… our worlds… are. But, I see and even feel more clearly now. And I now know for certain how I feel about you. I've faced it. Do you feel the same?"

Diana knew that Kal's question traversed many levels , and she realized that her answer was the same for all of them. "Yes, I do."

Diana placed her soft hands on Kal's cheeks and drew him down to her for a gentle kiss. As their lips touched, both of them knew that they needed… craved… more of one another. Their second kiss was deep and passionate, lips caressing back and forth as tongues slid seductively against one another. With their third kiss, the two of them became totally lost in each other.

Kal slid back down to her chin, this time kissing and sucking the soft skin on the other side of her neck even harder. He was encouraged by Diana's constant moaning and gasping and the way she turned her neck to give him more access, drawing him even closer to her. His mouth watering for her, he began to kiss his way down her body.

Then, he blacked out…

* * *

When Kal awoke hours later, he was in the softest place on earth. He could feel the warm morning sunlight on his face. He could immediately tell that his illness had finally broken. He could feel his legs. He was healed. His bed had never ever felt so good. His sheets had never ever felt so good. His pillows had never ever felt so good.

Pillows? Hmmm…

As his memory began to return, Kal specifically remembered only having one pillow in his bed because it had struck him as an outward sign of the loneliness he was feeling inside. If not his pillow, then…

In a flash, he remembered. Diana!

Kal opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He had been laying on Diana's breasts, with one of his arms reaching up to the back of her shoulder while his other arm was stretched quite possessively around her slim firm waist. One of her hands had been wrapped around his broad shoulders while the other had been holding the back of his neck against her.

Great scott! Had something happened between them last night? Try as he might, Kal was completely unable to remember!

As he sat up on the side of the bed, he couldn't help but admire the sight before him. At his movement, Diana stretched and purred like a contented she lion, obviously still in a deep much needed sleep. Kal stared on. She was so beautiful… so absolutely beautiful.

Kal didn't know what to do. He did not want to shame her, especially with her Amazonian pride, by asking her if anything had happened between them. However, he had to find out.

He began to look around his apartment, hoping that his surroundings may offer evidence. The first thing he noticed was his shattered headboard. There was also a vertical crack behind it running up the length of the wall to the ceiling. Could have been from the earthquake…

Kal walked out into his living room to find it a complete mess. There was barely a single thing left standing upright. Diana's cabinets, laptops and papers lay strewn haphazardly all over the floor. There were indentations and structural damage to almost every wall in the room. The sofa had been broken, almost in half. Well, could have been from the earthquake…

Also, every window in the apartment had been shattered. His mind had a thought… memory… of a loud high pitched scream during a spiking climax, shattering the glass? Or, could have been from the earthquake…

Kal heard rustling from his bed, and he knew he had run out of time to figure out what had happened. He had to think fast. Well, there was only one thing to do in this situation. There was only one thing a gentleman would do after… spending a night… with a woman. Kal dashed toward his kitchen.

"Kal?" Diana called moments later as she began to sit up in bed, sleepily brushing her long dark hair out of her eyes and holding the covers against her for warmth.

"Right here," Kal answered standing in the bedroom doorway just a moment later, holding a long tray filled to capacity in his hands. "Breakfast is served, Princess."

"It smells delicious," Diana smiled. "Come here."

Kal brought the tray filled with various fresh fruits and breakfast delicacies over to the bed and sat it in front of her as he sat down on the edge of the bed across from her.

"I cooked all this for you," Kal told her.

"In the political arena, when someone brings you gifts, there is usually an ulterior motive," smiled Diana.

"Well, I see that you don't actually need your lasso to be able to discern truth," Kal said as he stared at her.

Diana looked up at him. "Is there something you want, Kal?" she said just above a whisper, her voice dropping an octave, hovering dangerously close to the seductive range.

"I… I was wondering if you might like… to go out with me… on a date… tonight?" he forced out, surprised to find himself nervous about her reaction.

"Uhhh… no," Diana said with a calm certainty as she looked over the selection of delicacies on the tray below her.

"Uhhh… I… I'm sorry… I thought maybe… I didn't mean to…"

Diana picked up ripe plum and held it up to Kal's lips for him to take a bite. After he bit into it, she leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, tasting the juice for herself.

"You didn't have to cook me breakfast to get me to go out with you, Kal," Diana giggled with a bright smile. "I said no because I'm not going to go out with you for just tonight. I've been practically living with you for the past three days and nights, so if we're going to go out, I would have to say that we've already started our… date. Instead of having a date night, we'll have a date day."

"Date day?" Kal asked uncertainly.

Diana held up another plum and let Kal take a bite out of it from her hand again. When Diana leaned forward this time, she wrapped both her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, slipping her tongue inside his mouth to take the piece of plum out of it. She leaned back and gave him a girlish grin. The two of them smiled at one another lovingly.

Date day, indeed…

The Beginning…


End file.
